Ciscoe’s Tips of the Week: Attract birds to your garden

– Prune fruit and other deciduous trees in August. Remove sprouts, branches crossing the middle, and control height. Take your time and you won’t knock off any fruit. Pruning now reduces regrowth in spring, and reduces disease problems.

– Deadhead summer long perennials such as Agastache, cape fuchsia, evergreen penstemon, etc. by cutting off the spent blooms to prevent them from going to seed and keep producing new flowers.

– Attract birds to your garden by providing clean fresh water to drink and bathe in. Clean the bird bath by blasting the water out of the basin with a powerful hose-end nozzle on a daily basis. Don’t worry about forgetting to refill the basin. As I’ve learned from experience, the birds get really mad at you if you forget, and peep at you non-stop until you replenish their water supply.

Ciscoe’s Tips of the Month for August

– Weed beds, and add a layer of fresh organic mulch to reduce weed regrowth and the need to water.

– Prune fruit trees by controlling height, removing sprouts growing out of the top, and crowding the middle.